Lead Engineer – Platform & Architecture

Role Overview :
The Lead Engineer owns the technical integrity, reliability, and scalability of the Quest platform, while also being directly hands-on in building critical systems.
This Is a Player-coach Role:
○ You will write and review code
○ Solve complex technical problems directly
And ensure that all engineering (internal + vendors) meets high quality and architectural
Standards
Key Responsibilities:
Hands-on Engineering Ownership (Critical)
○ Actively contribute to core platform code (backend, APIs, system components)
○ Take ownership of complex, high-risk, or poorly understood problem areas
○ Performance bottlenecks
○ Data inconsistencies
○ Critical bugs (e.g., save failures, concurrency issues)
○ Build reference implementations that set standards for vendors
—‹ Step In When:
○ Root cause is unclear
○ Issues are repeatedly reopened
This role is not advisory — you get into the code and fix things
Architecture & System Design ○ Define and evolve platform architecture
○ Ensure system coherence across modules, services, and integrations
○ Make pragmatic architecture decisions grounded in real constraints
○ Prevent over-engineering while ensuring scalability
Code Quality & Engineering Standards
—‹ Define And Enforce:
○ Coding standards
○ PR review processes
○ Personally review critical PRs and vendor code
—‹ Set Clear Expectations For:
○ Multi-developer handoffs
○ Ownership of modules
Environment & DevOps Standardization ○ Ensure Dev, QA, UAT, and Prod environments are aligned
—‹ Standardize:
○ Server configs (file size limits, caching, infra)
○ Deployment processes
—‹ Work Hands-on With DevOps To Fix:
○ Cache inconsistencies
○ Environment drift
○ Deployment issues
Testing & Quality Engineering
— Define And Enforce:
○ Unit testing standards (all success criteria must be covered)
○ Scenario-based QA expectations
— Ensure Testing Includes:
○ Boundary conditions (e.g., file size limits)
○ Edge cases (state handling, retries, failures)
Root Cause Analysis & Reliability
Lead deep debugging of critical issues
Ensure:
○ No issue is closed without clear root cause understanding
Improve RCA quality:
What happened
Why it happened
How we prevent it
Eliminate “guess fixes” and repeated reopens
Integration & Platform Governance
— Design And Review:
○ APIs
○ External integrations (e.g., SIDH, partners)
— Ensure Consistency In:
○ Data contracts
○ Error handling
○ Security practices
Performance & Real-World Reliability
— Ensure Systems Are Tested For:
○ Large files (e.g., 2MB vs 50MB scenarios)
○ Low bandwidth / throttling
○ Concurrency limits
— Fix Issues Like:
○ Save failures
○ Race conditions (auto-save conflicts)
○ Cache inconsistencies
Accountable For
● Writing and improving critical parts of the codebase
● Platform architecture and system coherence
● Engineering quality across internal and vendor teams
● Environment consistency (Dev ↔ UAT ↔ Prod)
● Reduction in ticket reopens and production bugs
Reliable system behavior under real-world usage
Requirements
● 6–10+ years of strong backend engineering experience
— Deep Hands-on Expertise In:
○ PHP/Laravel
○ MySQL modeling, performance and debugging
○ APIs and distributed systems
— Strong Experience In:
○ Debugging production issues
○ Performance tuning
○ DevOps collaboration
— Proven Ability To:
○ Work across multiple teams/vendors
Balance speed vs quality
Benefits
Salary: The pay band for the position starts at Rs. 1,25,000/- per month (cost to company) ( The salary offered will be commensurate with the experience and expertise of the candidate)
In Addition To Your Compensation, You Are Also Eligible For a Suite Of Benefits Designed To Support Your Well-being And Growth:
Comprehensive Personal Accident Insurance covering up to ₹10,00,000 annually
Mediclaim Insurance covering up to ₹3,00,000 annually, supported through our insurance partner, Loop, which also offers additional wellness benefits
Reach for the Stars (RFS) amount of up to ₹5,000 to support your self-learning and knowledge-building efforts
Internet allowance of up to ₹750/month, reimbursable based on actual usage to support flexible and hybrid working arrangements
For employees with children under the age of 6 years, Quest offers childcare or day care fee support through a monthly matching contribution of up to ₹3,000, helping you create a supportive work-life balance
Access to emotional health and wellbeing programs such as:
Group sessions worth ₹7,500 per session fully covered by the organisation
1:1 counselling sessions (worth ₹1,800 per session), fully covered by the organisation
At Quest Alliance, we pride ourselves on being an Equal Opportunities employer, embracing applications from all segments of the community. We are committed to ensuring that every applicant and employee is treated with fairness and respect, regardless of gender, sexual orientation, marital status, social status, caste, religious belief, age, or any other factor that is irrelevant to performance. Your individuality is valued and respected within our organization.
Know About Quest
Website : http://www.questalliance.net/
Blog : https://thelearnerbyquest.wordpress.com
About The Team And Culture
Everyday is a Friday! - How we make our workplace fun
Quest Day - Our Bday celebrated with people we love, and there is food & music
What our partners & collaborators say? - see here
Annual All Staff Meet - From Goa, Kumarakom, Coorg, Bodh Gaya & Puducherry this is where all employees meet to celebrate their learning & relationships.
Watch our youtube playlists for more.

Work arrangement
No